


The Night Before

by BlueNerdBird



Series: Angsty Vellan Timeline [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Secret Relationship, shitty nobles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 22:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17129498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueNerdBird/pseuds/BlueNerdBird
Summary: Caitris and her Good Friend Samran go out two nights before her arranged wedding





	The Night Before

It had been one party after the other. Hardly a day went by where Caitris was not bound by tightly wound dresses, hairstyles, and the standards of her parents. Her head hurt, pinpricks had been covering her feet for the past half hour, and she barely felt anything.

Tomorrow she was going to meet her fiancé, and then the next day it would be done. Her life would become bound to the will of her parents, her husband, and Silverymoo n, the city she had lived in her whole life. Being married off at the young age of 90 was unusual among her people, but it was usually in the case of a disobedient child from a noble family.

Well they weren’t wrong.

She saw it in the faces of party guests on occasion, in the whispers they kept behind masks or gloved hands. They were rumors her mother had tried to dispel, praising her daughter’s training in combat and in her knowledge of history. If the nobles whispered about how so and so’s child had met someone that matched Caitris’ description in a tavern, then it was kept in hushed whispers.

It was all Caitris could do not to run as far as she could.

As her breathing threatened to speed up, she found the seams on her purple dress and ran her fingers over it. She tuned into the feeling of the fabric, and it brought her mind out out of the fire for a moment. She used that time to gauge whether her presence would go unnoticed.

Fortunately the party was not specifically for her wedding, that party would be tomorrow, but it was an important anniversary for her family, the day that her grandfather had slain a famous human general in the war her people had against the humans. He was most likely around the party as well, telling stories of his own heroics. It’s not like he could talk about anything else.

Caitris had slowly started to make her way to the kitchens. This would not be her first escape, but it would most likely be her last. She felt another twinge of fear at the thought of this being her last escape, but it gave her more motivation to go ahead with it.

Before she had made it down the stairs, she caught sight of her brother. He had been talking to some fancy nobles, clearly not enjoying his time with them, and once he caught her eye he made his way over to her.

“You going to get some air sister?” he asked formally, fully cognizant of the nobles surrounding them.  _ “Are you escaping the party?” _

“Yes, the air was getting a tad stuffy, so I thought I could get some air to clear my head.”  _ “My anxiety is getting to me and I’m going to go out the back way. _

“I saw some guests out by the courtyard, perhaps you could chat with them as well?”  _ “Go out the kitchens to avoid running into anyone watching for you. _

“A good idea, have you seen a friend of mine around here? I thought I saw him earlier.”  _ “Is Samran working tonight?” _

“Why yes, I saw him earlier. Not sure where he went off to however. I should get back to mingling sister, can’t keep them waiting for too long.”  _ “He’s working, he can help you escape where I can’t.” _

She gave a small smile, which he returned. Fenaren was the only thing keeping her sane most days, but there was one other person who could. A friend they had made recently, one who had helped them discover a back way through the kitchens that didn’t lead into the gardens, but into a secret underground passage. Apparently, it connected to a series of tunnels underneath the city from when it used as an escape route during the height of the war between humans and elves. The threat of attack was always eminent, especially in one of the biggest elven cities, and so a series of tunnels was created. They have turned mostly into smuggler roads, but they can also be used to sneak into town from her estate.

Caitris turned a corner, checking to make sure she wasn’t followed, and slipped into the kitchen. As she turned around, she bumped into and found herself nose-to-nose with Samran, the very friend that would help them escape.

It took her a second to process what was happening, before she looked down and saw some wine that had gotten spilled on her dress, but the glasses had remained on a tray.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry… wait Caitris?” he asked, registering who was in front of him.

“Samran! No, I’m the one that’s sorry,” unsure what to do with her hands, she moved to grab something to clean herself, but Samran handed her a white towel, a nervous smile on his face.

“Chances are it won’t show up, the wine is very similar to the color of your dress,” he said, and Caitris smiled and wiped at it as much as she could. With her attention focused on her dress, she missed that his attention was focused there as well.

“What brings you to the kitchens tonight? Looking for extra wine? I could always spike someone’s drink, that usually gives everyone a laugh,” he said, setting the tray of spilled wine down on a counter.

“Not tonight, I am looking to sneak out one final time,” she replied, giving up on trying to get the wine out.

“That’s right,” he said, the spark in his brown eyes dimming, “You get married in a few days. Want me to open up the back for you?”

“That would be perfect,”

xxxxxxxxx

_ “Come on Fen, I think tonight we can get away with having a bit of fun!” _

_ “We gotta be careful, I don’t know we can keep going this way, we need to find another way out,” he replied, and Caitris agreed. Last time, they had almost run into guards twice, and Caitris didn’t want to know what would happen if they got caught. _

_ She heard someone coming down the hall, and with a single look, they knew to split up and regroup on the other side of the estate, in a wing that was not well traveled. _

_ During her route, she stopped by the kitchens to grab a bite to eat. Her training earlier that day had been particularly intense, and it was easier to eat now than in a busy tavern. _

_ The kitchens were mostly empty at this time, with a smaller gathering like it was tonight, most of the waitstaff had prepared the food beforehand and would attend to the party. This was good news to her, as she could take a minute to think of a plan of action. Where would her and her brother go if not their usual route? They would have to switch things up occasionally to avoid getting caught, but it was getting more and more difficult. _

_ “Damn estate, damn city, damn guards. How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?” she grumbled to herself, searching the kitchen for a bite to eat. As she rounded the corner, she saw a tall, stocky half-elf man pouring wine to serve to the guests. She stopped for a second as he turned to her, she hadn’t expected anyone to be within hearing range of her. _

_ “You don’t look like an employee here,” he said, the pitch of his voice lower than an elf. _

_ “I was just… looking for something to eat,” she stammered, thrown off by the man’s voice and the surprising warmth behind his eyes. _

_ “Here, there were several leftover rolls if you’d like,” he said, leading her to another counter with a few rolls that had come out of the oven oddly shaped. Nothing that would ever be served to guests. _

_ “Thanks,” she said before biting into one. _

_ “My name’s Samran by the way, I just started working here,” he said, and Caitris with a mouthful of bread looked over and truly looked at him. He was certainly taller than her, and she was even considered tall for an elf, but he had broader shoulders than any elf she had known. His skin was a deep tan color, and his dark hair almost hid the shorter ears, but not quite. They were not long like hers were, but the size of a human’s with a small pointed tip. She hadn’t realized that he had extended his hand, and she set the bread piece aside to shake his hand. _

_ It was warm and slightly calloused, and it felt nice. _

_ “I’m Caitris,” she replied once she had swallowed the bread. _

_ “Caitris, I couldn’t help but overhear you earlier. You said you wanted to find a way out of here?” he asked, and she nodded, mouth full of the rest of the bread. _

_ “I may have an answer for you.” _

xxxxxxxxx

Caitris grabbed a glass of wine as she passed through the kitchen, a little pregame never hurt anyone.

“It’ll be strange not seeing you around here as much,” he commented as she downed a glass of wine in one go.

“I’m not looking forward to it,” she said, following him to where the meat was stored. It always unnerved her to walk past the dead pigs that were cut up and served for parties, but it was the only entrance to the tunnels.

“Do you know anything about the guy you’re marrying?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“Not a damn thing. Just that he’s the son of some other political figure that my parents want to have connections with,” Caitris replied.

They continued through the kitchen until they came to a trapdoor that was locked tight and bolted into the floor.

xxxxxxxxx

_ “So Samran, what is the secret exit to the estate and how do you know about it?” Caitris asked, sipping at a glass of wine that she was sharing with Samran. She figured since she was one of the owners of the estate, she could have wine and share it with whoever she liked. _

_ “It’s through the meat cellar, in a trapdoor. You wouldn’t know about it unless your family was descended from the engineers who built the series of tunnels back during the war,” he said, also taking a sip of wine. _

_ “So that’s how you know about it, how did you end up working here then, if you came from a family of engineers?” Caitris asked. As they had started to chat, Caitris couldn’t help but notice his nose, that was slightly crooked, like he had broken it as a child and it hadn’t healed back quite right. _

_ “I was never very good at math. My mother’s side were descended from the engineers, and I know she wanted me to be like them, but I inherited more of my human dad. He was more of an artistic person, couldn’t do a single math problem to save his life,” Samran said, and Caitris found herself smiling. _

_ “I have been groomed to fight my whole life. I enjoy reading and gardening, but my family doesn’t support anything that isn’t continuing our family’s legacy,” Caitris replied. _

_ “That doesn’t sound like much of a life to me,” Samran said, and Caitris was taken aback at the boldness of the statement. She didn’t disagree however. _

_ “I should let my brother know about the way out. We’ve been sneaking out of here for years, and it’s nice to know that we have another way out. I don’t know how I can thank you for this Samran,” Caitris said, finishing off the glass and turning to him. _

_ “Just come and visit me sometimes here. Not that the waitstaff aren’t lovely people to work with, but I’ve enjoyed our chat,” Samran said. _

_ “You wouldn’t want to come with us?” she asked. _

_ “Maybe someday I will.” _

xxxxxxxxx

Caitris watched as Samran took a key from around his neck and turned the lock to open. Thoughts flowed through her head, memories of him helping her escape, and of the talks they would sometimes have. He had never made any advances toward her, nor she toward him, but she found a companionship with him that she had not found in any other relationships.

He was her friend.

“Come with me tonight Samran,” Caitris asked, grabbing his hand before she descended. His eyes widened. “You said you wanted to someday, and this may very well be my last night out. I want to spend it with a friend.”

He smiled, and the warmth in his gaze made Caitris’ heart skip a beat.

“I’d love to.”

She descended the ladder and heard him climb after her. She was glad that he couldn’t see her, because she felt her cheeks begin to burn at his words.

As she hit the bottom, she took off her shoes and exchanged them with ones in a rucksack that she had stored at the bottom of the ladder. Since the tunnels were so rarely used, and they stretched out under most of the city, the odds of anyone finding her and Fenaren’s stash of casual clothes was so rare, that it didn’t matter.

She realized with a deeper blush that she was going to have to change out of her dress.

“Uhhh, Sam. I’m gonna have to change out of my dress.”

“I can’t see anything; how do you do this without a torch? I couldn’t see anything if I tried,” he said light-heartedly.

“Oh, I’ve heard elves are proficient in seeing in darkness, I didn’t realize that half-elves couldn’t,” she replied, turning away from him as she unzipped her dress.

“Yeah, must be something about the human blood that does it. I remember as a kid, my father would be putting me to bed in a dark room and my mom would come to say goodnight and her eyes would be a bright green, kind of like a cat,” he said with a laugh, “Used to freak me out a lot as a kid, but I still loved her dearly.”

Caitris was listening attentively, but also trying not to think about how undressed she was in front of Samran. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see her, but that she could see everything clearly, and she was almost completely naked in front of him.

She quickly grabbed her normal clothes and felt a sense of relief wash over her as she changed into leggings, a tunic, and casual boots. Raking a hand through her hair, she undid the tie that held her hair up and ran her hands through it a few times. It always made her more relaxed to be in casual clothes than the fancy outfits that her parents had planned for her.

“Ok, I’m dressed. I know the way to the surface from here if you want to,” she started, but he grabbed her hand and stared off into the distance, eyes searching for something to see.

She smiled and began to walk forward, holding his hand and leading him forward. His hand felt the same as it did when they met, but it was different now, as she held it for longer than a few seconds.

Their walk was mostly in silence, the only noise was water dripping from the ceiling in a few places.

If Caitris’ memory served right, then if she followed this passage long enough, then it would lead to the forest just outside of town. It was on the opposite side from her estate, and less than a block from the tavern. She figured that this was a sort of meridian cutting through the entire town, with several possible turns and other parts, but she just needed to follow the path straight out.

After about twenty minutes of walking, Caitris’ ears perked up at the sound of rushing water.

“There, we’re getting close, there’s a stream just outside the tunnels,” Caitris said, squeezing his hand a bit as she led him towards the sound.

He seemed to pick up his pace at the prospect of reaching the end of the tunnel, and as they both walked out into a small grove by a stream, Caitris let go of Samran’s hand. It felt cold without his hand, but when she turned around to face him, she didn’t feel cold anymore.

Caitris realized up until that moment, Samran had only seen the side of her that her parents saw, dolled up and preened until she could barely breathe. He hadn’t seen the Caitris that was free from her parent’s life, one that was a little more wild and true to herself, and how strange that must look to him.

She noticed his gaze was intense, but with the moonlight from above, it almost seemed like his eyes had stars in them, and she found herself entranced by them.

After a moment of silence, they blinked and realized their surroundings.

“So uh… the tavern?” Samran asked, and Caitris nodded silently, trying not to let the burning sensation in her cheeks reach all the way to her ears.

It was a short walk to the tavern, once again in silence. Once the noisiness of the tavern was in sight though, Caitris felt more comfortable, as she was back in familiar territory. Once inside, the light and warmth caught up to them both as they sat down and ordered a drink each.

“So what do you and your brother typically do on a night out?” Samran asked, and Caitris felt herself stammer again.

“We uh… sometimes find someone to spend the night with. Other times we dance with other patrons, it depends on what’s going on that night,” Caitris responded. A handsome barkeep brought over a couple of ales, and Caitris grinned.

“As nice as the wine from our estate is, sometimes you can’t beat a good dwarven ale,” she said, and took a long swig from it. Across from her, Samran laughed a bit and took a drink from his.

“Do you go to the tavern much?” she asked.

“Not much no, I usually spend my days playing music and writing. I had fun when I did go however.” They each took another long drink.

“Taverns are fun, it’s a nice place to get away from the rest of the world,” Caitris said with another drink.

“Do you always drink this fast or is it just a special night?” Samran asked with a laugh upon seeing Caitris down her ale faster than most elves tend to.

“A bit of both I think? Between my impending wedding and the death of my freedom I guess this qualifies as a special occasion?” she said, shrugging.

As they continued to chat, Caitris noticed that her words flowed more easily than they had during their talks at the estate. Before, when she had gone to him to talk, it was more about who they were, but now, they were free to make jokes and talk about mundane things. With each drink, Caitris noticed the shape of his mouth as he smiled, and the way his eyes would shut as he laughed hard, and she didn’t understand it at all.

Late enough into the evening where Caitris had started to lose all her inhibitions, she heard a band start to play music. It was a swinging tavern tune, with the lute playing alongside a flute and a hand drum, and she had a flash of impulse to grab his hand again.

“Dance with me.”

He smiled, and as they both clumsily got up from the table, made their way over in front of the band. As his hand went to her waist and they stepped close to one another, she felt heat rush to her face once again.

The drums started in a simple rhythm, and she felt her feet move in time with his. She began to laugh as they danced clumsily around the tavern, spinning and twirling almost in time with the music. As the lute player began to sing, Samran grinned and began to sing along. Not loudly, but just loud enough for Caitris to hear and laugh some more.

Clapping resounded across the tavern as the song picked up, and the energy of the room grew as more elves joined in the dance, but Caitris didn’t even notice. As he spun her once more, she let loose a whoop, and spun back right into his arms. Their feet moved together, with her back against his, before he spun around to face her.

The pitch of the music changed, and she noticed Samran was closer than he was before, his hand reaching across her back as hers reached further around his shoulder. All the stress from earlier was forgotten as they moved, and Caitris felt her cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much.

She spun more, lights dancing in her vision. The sounds began to get blurry, but each time she returned, Samran was there. He wasn’t like the other elves she had slept with, she could tell that he didn’t just want sex from her, and that’s not what she wanted from him.

The song transitioned into another, one that was slower, and the dance between them changed. She looked up at Samran and smiled. In a stroke of boldness, she leaned her head against his, moving in close. Her arms wrapped around his neck as their foreheads touched, not getting closer, not kissing, but just enough to be close to one another.

They continued for several minutes before they noticed the music stopped, and suddenly the rest of the tavern ceased to exist. A little bit of the buzz from earlier had faded, enough that details had come back to her. This was one of her last nights as a free woman, and she was dancing with a very handsome half-elf who was giving her a look like he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

She backed up, but she felt something inside of her shatter when she saw the look on his face.

“I… I need a minute Samran. I’m sorry.”

She felt tears prick at her eyes as she all but ran out of the tavern. The night air hit her like a cold front as the emotions of the night caught up to her. The fear of losing her freedom, the pressure of being a puppet for her family to control, and how much she wanted to kiss Samran in the tavern.

Never before had Caitris ever wished for something beyond sex, but here it was. If not for her fiancé, she could see herself spending a lot more time with Samran, but that was not the kind of life she lived. She didn’t want him to be pulled into her mess, she wanted him to be who he wanted, a musician, a writer, whatever suited his fancy. He wasn’t bound the way she was, and that’s the way she wanted it.

“Caitris?” she heard him ask behind her, and she quickly moved to wipe away tears.

“Yes?” she asked, too afraid to turn around.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting down next to her.

“It’s too much. I want to spend this time with you, but I don’t want you to be stuck the same way I am. I don’t have the same freedom that someone like you has, I’m not able to be anything but a warrior, and a paragon of my household. I don’t want you to be bound to that fate like I am,” she said, sniffling a bit more.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, I’m getting married in a few days and that’ll be the end of it for me.”

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, pulling her in closer.

“You’re not married right now, hell, you haven’t even met this guy. It’s your life, and you shouldn’t be afraid to live it for you Caitris. Your parents won’t control you forever, and tonight proved that.” She leaned in as he put his forehead against hers again.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen Caitris, and you having a fiancé doesn’t change that. Do you want to come back to the tavern? I would guess we still have a while before day breaks. Dance with me again?” Samran asked, and Caitris looked at him with tears still in her eyes.

With the orange light from the tavern, she saw genuine affection in his expression, and more tears fell. She knew that she wouldn’t be allowed a future with him no matter how hard she wanted it.

She leaned in gingerly as their lips met for what felt like the slowest moments of her life. It was simple but conveyed all that she could not say: goodbye.

He didn’t stop her when she stood up and left, tears still in her eyes.

He didn’t stop her as she ran past him the next night, guards on her heels as she leapt out a window to her freedom, just watched with a sad feeling that he might not ever see her again, but a lightness in knowing that she would be free.

**Author's Note:**

> The angst train is here and is riding full speed ahead my dudes


End file.
